Israel’s consul general in Boston, Nadav Tamir, is viewed as a veteran, well-respected diplomat whose opinions are given considerable weight in Israel’s foreign policy establishment.

“The distance between us and the U.S. administration has clear consequences for Israeli deterrence. There are American and Israeli political elements who oppose Obama on an ideological basis and who are ready to sacrifice the special relationship between the two countries for the sake of their own political agendas,” the consul general in Boston wrote.

“There is a sense in the United States that Obama is forced to deal with the obduracy of the governments in Iran, North Korea, and Israel. The administration is making an effort to lower the profile of the disagreements, and yet it is [Israel] that is the source which is highlighting the differences,” Tamir wrote.

Tamir accused Netanyahu of endangering American Jewish backing for Israel by publicly sparring with the Obama administration over construction of Jewish housing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.